Curator, lecturer and author Dr Amy Lim gave us a most enlightening lecture on the uphill struggle that women faced to be recognized as serious artists from the 16th– 20th Centuries. Focusing on just 8 female artists, who were either British or who had lived in Britain, out of the 112 that make up the Exhibition currently at Tate Britain (from the 12th June – 13th October 2024), she showed us how painting was taught by copying many of the great artists or through family connection – Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656) was taught by her artist father.
The theme throughout her talk and the exhibition is how women overcame all the formal, social, cultural and legal barriers to be recognized. Middle class women especially were not expected to work and any artist wishing to sell their art relied on access to buyers, exhibitions and venues otherwise they would starve or be forced into other work – for a woman this often mean prostitution.
There was a hierarchy in painting, the most prestigious being history painting i.e classical mythology, literature, moral, or religious. An artist needed to paint these types of themes to be considered the best, then came portrait painting, still life and pastoral subjects. Women were not meant to paint historical issues as they were not considered mentally capable, nor were they meant or allowed to paint men or women from live models. Portrait painting was acceptable and Mary Beale (1633-1699) was one of the first to make a living this way. Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807) was so successful as a history painter that she was the first woman
to become an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1771. Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899) only painted animals by studying animals in slaughter houses. 
Elizabeth (Thompson) Lady Butler (1846-1933) chose to paint military themes so successfully that she was nominated to become a member of the Royal Academy in 1879 but was refused due to sexism among the rank and file. Laura Knight (1877-1970) was finally the first woman to become a full member of the Royal Academy in 1936; and the first female president was elected in 2019.
Liz Beecheno